An examination of the blithedale romance by nathaniel hawthorne

Tension in the friendship between Coverdale and Hollingsworth intensifies as their philosophical disagreements continue. In fall, it concludes with the mutilated, marbled, rigid corpse of Zenobia.

Priscilla herself is also quite taken with the older woman and follows her around the farm. Though introduced as Old Moodie, he was formerly known as Fauntleroy, a wealthy but immoral man who loses his riches in a financial scandal.

Hollingsworth uses her in his conspiracy to create an ideal society. However, critics often identify a strongly homoerotic relationship between Coverdale and Hollingsworth. He presumably has a former, possibly romantic, relationship with Zenobia.

She is eventually revealed to be the second daughter of Old Moodie, as well as the alterego of the Veiled Lady.

Upon moving to Blithedale, Coverdale proclaims his own rebirth. Though Hollingsworth believes the girl whose age is never clarified is an expected guest, none of the Blithedale citizens recognize her. Nathaniel Hawthorne experienced this setting in real life, Mankind has always had, and will always have, a penchant for utopian dreams of one sort or another.

Pastoral and Politics" in Ed. It was white, with somewhat of a subdued silver sheen, like the sunny side of a cloud; and, falling over the.

The main character, Miles Coverdale, embarks on a quest for the betterment of the world through the agrarian lifestyle and community of the Blithedale Farm. One reviewer states "so vividly does [Hawthorne] present to us the scheme at Brook Farm, to which some of our acquaintance were parties, so sharply and accurately does he portray some incidents of life there, that we are irresistibly impelled to fix the real names of men and women to the characters of his book".

He fell from grace, but remarried later and had another child, Priscilla, making the two women half sisters. There are some insightful psychological observations made, but my personal opinion is that it is weaker than TSL.

He believes in the reform of all sinners and attempts to use Blithedale and its residents to achieve these ends, instead of those supported by the group. In spring, Coverdale recovers from his illness.

He is rumored to have a relationship with Zenobia partway through the novel, and they plan on building a cottage together. He is level-headed and sensible, and is the first to suggest Priscilla stay upon her arrival. The image of the veil appears with almost every character. Irving Howe summarizes this religious conflict, stating, "Throughout his life Hawthorne was caught up in what we would call a crisis of religious belief.

She becomes progressively more open and less frail throughout the novel and develops a strong attachment to Hollingsworth on top of her sisterly affections for Zenobia. Nowadays, in the management of his "subject," "clairvoyant," or "medium," the exhibitor affects the simplicity and openness of scientific experiment; and even if he profess to tread a step or two across the boundaries of the spiritual world, yet carries with him the laws of our actual life and extends them over his preternatural conquests.

Priscilla betrays her when she chooses Hollingsworth over her. Years later, poorer and wiser, he remarries and has a second daughter.

Priscilla, as the Veiled Lady, is private and hidden. Soon after, Coverdale becomes severely ill and is bedridden.

Contemporary and modern criticism[ edit ] Following its publication, "The Blithedale Romance" was received with little enthusiasm by contemporary critics. The exotic flower is a symbol of her pride, life and vitality all of which the characters in the Blithedale Romance are set on destroying.Hawthorne's "The Blithedale Romance" An examination of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Blithedale Romance", which details the lives of several characters who live through the creation and eventual failure of a Utopian commune called Blithedale.

The Blithedale Romance study guide contains a biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s own experience as a member of the famous Brook Farm Community, which the author describes in his preface as the “most romantic episode” in his life, The Blithedale Romance is one of the most engaging and complex of Hawthorne’s novels.

The Blithedale Romance is a story of such a community -- and a reminder that achieving heaven on earth will always be beyond our reach.

Nathaniel Hawthorne experienced this setting in real life, Mankind has always had, and will always have, a penchant for utopian dreams of one sort or another/5. The Blithedale Romance is a work of fiction based on Hawthorne's recollections of Brook Farm, a short-lived agricultural and educational commune where Hawthorne lived from April to November